A bit of a derailment on the train

The legendary Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA

I'm on the train again this morning heading across Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful sunny day and I'm looking forward to another writers' conference. I've been on faculty for 4 conferences in the last 6 weeks and, while I'm looking forward to it, I'm also looking forward to a break. I'm not scheduled for another conference until early August.

For the Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, I will be teaching 3 workshops -- The Business of Writing, From Blog to Book, and my popular Fictional Characters Anonymous. If you're somewhat local to Pittsburgh, I would love to present one of my workshops to your writers' group. Contact me for a list of my presentations. I also enjoy delivering talks about green living, particularly the ones based on my book, Vinegar Fridays.

My intention for this trip was to work on my book, Lincoln and Laura Celebrate Earth Day (available soon on iStoryBooks.co), but I was sidetracked for awhile by another passenger who discovered I was a writer. She, too, was an aspiring writer and for over an hour, we shared stories about writing and tossed about names familiar to both of us. 

Life's like that sometimes, isn't it? We have our plans made and then something or someone derails them. I will admit, at first I was annoyed. People pick my brain about writing all.the.time. I wanted to be alone and ... gasp ... actually write. But is it so bad to step away from our plans and actually connect with people from time to time? Of course, it's not. The way I see it is that God has gifted me with the talents I have -- talents to write, to teach, to communicate. And I have to be ready to share those talents in numerous ways. I want to share those talents. This morning, that meant my plans had to be derailed (pun intended) for awhile. Big deal.

Another shot of the Horseshoe Curve

What about you mamas out there? Or you dads? Do you get impatient and frustrated when your children (young or old) distract you from your plans? Do you snap at them for disturbing you when you're in the middle of working? Do they get the feeling that your computer is more important to you than they are? Or your phone or tablet? Is what you are doing ever more important than your child when they want to talk to you? 

I admit, this is one area (and there are many) where I failed my children horribly. And I will always regret it. For more of the story, click here.

Now, I'm not saying your children should have free rein to interrupt you whenever they feel like it. There must be boundaries, particularly if you work from home. But I am asking you to evaluate the boundaries and your priorities. After all, I don't want you to have to live with the kind of guilt I live with. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, is as important to me as my family. And I'm sure you feel the same.

But for now, I think it's time to get back to work on my children's book. After all, deadlines are deadlines. 

The other side of Green Grandma

For those of you who don't know me beyond Green Grandma, I thought it would be good to let you know about the other side of my life. I have a company called Speechless that specializes in writing, editing, and voice-overs. You may be familiar with my voice if your children have that iStorybooks app, because I am the voice of Maya Ray. iStorybooks has both free and premium books, many of which I've written. I highly recommend them for your little ones, although I don't believe anything electronic should take precedence over a parent/grandparent/caretaker actually reading to a child. But if you'd like to check out Green Grandma as Maya Ray, click here and download an iBook or two.

As an author for iStorybooks, I've written over 60 children's books and am working on more in the popular Lincoln and Laura series (based on the adventures of two cousins based on my oldest grandchildren). We're introducing a new environmental series soon, called Our Planet, Our Earth and I'll be keeping you updated on that in the near future. 

My writing and narrations go beyond the children's arena. I've had eight stories published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul (CSS) anthologies, as well other stories in other publications. I also edited one of the anthologies for CSS in 2007. Now I teach others how to craft their stories to fit the CSS formula. Which leads me to the next part of this post -- the workshops and courses I teach.

If you are a writer in the Pittsburgh area, you might like to join Writers at Work, a monthly writing group I lead at Northland Library in McCandless Twp. We meet on the second Monday of every month from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Contact me if you'd like more information.

I'll also be on the faculty for some upcoming conferences. If you are in any of these areas, or are willing to travel, I highly recommend each one of these.

March 28th --Writers Project Runway in Leesburg, VA

April 25th -- Writing Success XXIV in Stoneboro, PA

May 15-17 -- Building Bridges Annual Pennwriters Conference in Pittsburgh, PA 

Also, if you would like me to come speak at an event or conference, please contact me.

And, of course, if you're looking for a copywriter, editor, or voice-over talent, check out my website.

Hope you don't mind my little bit of self-promotion. Just thought some of you might have some interest. If you do show up at any of the conferences, please make sure you introduce yourself.

Hana